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Re: An uncomplicated question
JJSwaim wrote:
>
> Is it the consensus of this group that the Asteroid Belt is a former
> planet having undergone a catastrophic hit or other calamity? And,
> subsequently, if so, why the name 'asteroid' is preferred to
> 'planetoid' which would be far more accurate, no? Regards, jj
Hi JJ:
I have heard two schools of thought on the asteroid belt. The fisrt is
that the asteroid belt contains material left over from the birth of the
solar system, that never condensed to form a planet. Apparently this is
the center of mass of the solar system. The other school of thought is
that there once was a planet that was torn apart by the large
gravitational pull of Jupiter. Personally, I don't know which one to
believe, both have valid points. A planetoid is larger than an asteroid,
if I remeber correctly, maybe someone else can comment on sizes.
Best Wishes,
Matt Morgan
Mile High Meteorites
http://www.mhmeteorites.com
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